Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-07-21
FISH AS BRAIN FOOD.


Century, Professor Atwater demolshes
especially dependent upon phospho-
rus, and that fish is particularly a
brain food He closes his demonstra-
ton as follows: Even if fish were
richer in phosphorus than meats or
other food-materials, this would not
establish its superiority for the nu-
triton of the brain or the production
of intellectual energy. But there is.
no proof of any especial abundance of
phosphorus in fish. On the contrary,
an extended series of analyses in this
laboratory have revealed proportions
of phosphorus in the flesh of our ordi-
nary food fishes differing in no impor-
tant degree from those which have
been found to occur in the flesh of the
other animals used for the food of
man.
Perhaps some of the readers of
this will put me down for an icono-
clast, as did most highly esteemed
friend, who babe me, and with all can
dor and seriousness, to beware of thus
ruthlessly attempting to uproot an old
and important belief. But possibly
they will have the charity to leave me
a humble place in their consideration
if I add that there is, after ALL a way
in which fish may make very useful
part of the diet of brain-workers.
Psychologists tell us that the way
to provide for the welfare of the brain
is to see that the rest of the body is in
good order, that, in other words, the
old proverb of "a sound mind in a
sound body is sound doctrine. And
they are getting to tell us further that
one way in which brain-work is him
dered is by bad digestary habits, as,
for instance. overlooking the digestive
organs by taking too much food. Of
the vice of over-eating Ca vice which
we Americans by no means monopo-
lize), a considerable part, in this
country at least, and [ think in En-
gland and among well-to-dO people on
the continent of Europe also, is the
vice of fat-eating. We are a race of
fat-eaters. If anyone doubts this, l
think the statistics to be shown in q
succeeding article will convince him,
unless he is ready to deny the prac-
tically unanimous testimony of such
facts as / have been able to gather 1t
comes about very naturally and is
really due to the fertility of our soil,
the consequent abundance of food, and
the toOthsomeness of fOOd-materials
rich in fatty matters. The result of
this is, that the quantity of fat in the
average Americans dietary is very
large indeed, mainly because of the
large amounts of meats, butter, and
lard consumed, and is far in excess of
the demands of his body, unless he is
engaged in very severe muscular
work or exposed to extreme cold, or
both. For people with sedentary
occupations, including the majority of
brain-workers, this simply means
charging the organism with the bur.
den of getting rid of an excess of ma,
terial. This excess, the psychologists
and physicians assure us, is detri-
mental
1.-The flesh of fish contains less fat
than ordinary meats. Some kinds,
like salmon, macl1erel, white-fish, and
shad, are quite fat, but the flesh of food,
haddock, bass, blue-fish, perch, foun-
der, indeed the majority of our COM
mon food fishes. has extremely little
of fatty and oily matters.
''NOW it seems to me very reasOna-
BILE to assume that brain workers and
other people who do not have a great
deal of muscular exercise may very
advantageou substitute fish in the
place of portion Of the meat which
they would otherwise consume. | am
very well aware that such hygienic adj,
vice might come more appropriately
from a physician than from chem
ist, and am therefore glad to be able
to quote from no less an authority than
Sir Henry Thompson, who urges the
value Of fish to the brain-Worker' on
the ground that it contains, in smaller
proportion than meat, those materials
which, taken abundantly, demand
much physical labor for their COM
plete consumption, and which, without
this, produce an unhealthy condition
of body, more or less incompatible
with the easy and active exercise Of
the functions of the brain.
perhaps | ought to add that the
studies of the constitution of the flesh
of fish in this laboratory, as we'll as
similar Investigations elsewhere, show
that, so far as the nutritiye qualities
are concerned, the only considerable
difference between fish and ordinary
meats is in the proportions of oily and
fatty matters and water. The flesh of
the fish has water where meats have
fat.